"The advancement of science and technologies will improve people's lives and reduce social inequality, while making an economic impact," Narong Sirilertworakul, president of the NSTDA, said at the agency's annual technology conference yesterday. The 5G mobile network is not only 20 times faster than 4G, but also helps connect other technologies, namely AI, big data, cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT). Although 6G technology is still in the early stages, it's expected to be more than 1,000 times faster than 5G, Mr Narong said. He has seen the rise of quantum computing and engineering, while higher internet speeds for the IoT and sensor technology are key to driving data usage. Powerful computing is needed to help solve complex tasks, such as decoding DNA.